On Saturday 16 July, Mr Oladele Amoda, Chief Executive Officer, Eko Electricity Distribution Company Plc. (EKEDP) said that over N50 million was being lost monthly to electricity equipment destruction within its network. He revealed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos against the backdrop of continuous power outage within EKEDP network.
He condemned the cumulative equipment damage such as cables and wires, among others that had either been stolen or wrecked within its operations, which has lead the company to devote money meant for other electricity growth projects on maintenances. He also mentioned areas where equipment vandalism had been rampant like Apapa, Mushin, Ikoyi, Ajegunle and Festac of Lagos State.
He stated that equipment such as 300KVA and 500KVA are being destroyed in Eko Disco monthly.
“Vandalism of electricity installations in the areas has become a problem, and within the past four months, the unit has recorded further acts of vandalism of nine transformer substations.
“Most times the vandals carted away eight metres of 150mm2x4 core cable, cable sockets and ferrules.
“We have raised alarm over the increasing rate of vandalism of our equipment in recent time, while we have also beefed up surveillance, ‘’ he said.
He said that the severe laws and penalty would help reduce and perhaps eliminate the wicked act.
He stated that sales of community power equipment such as transformers, aluminum conductors and armoured cables should be synchronized to make it tough for vandalized electricity equipment to be taken to open market for sale.
He decried a situation whereby a convicted vandal only bags two or three months jail term after causing indelible damage to the economic and social wellbeing of Nigerians who were affected by acts of vandalism.
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